In this weeks Parsha, Parsha Tetzaveh, Moshe's name is not mentioned. It says in Perek 27 Pasuk 20
| And you shall command the children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually. | כוְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה | אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד: |
This is the only Parsha since Moshe was born in which him name does not appear (except for one Parsha that is spoken by Moshe). Why is this? The Baal Haturim says that in Chait Hagegal Moshe told Hashem "If You do not [forgive them,] erase me from the book that You have written" (Exodus 32:31). Although Moshe might not have meant what he said, the words do come with consequences and therefore Moshe's name was left out of the Parsha.
(To be read at Yachad shabbaton)
ReplyDeleteI think at some point in our lives each one of us has watched something on tv and wished to be as famous as the person we were watching. Maybe for you it was Tom Brady winning the super bowl, or Taylor Swift receiving a Grammy, and for me it's Jimmy Fallon lip syncing.
What we need to realize is that fame doesn't always bring satisfaction and it does not last. The celebrity of today is the has been of tomorrow.
Since the beginning of the book of shmot we have been reading about Moshe. Moshe is certainly the most famous person in the Torah, but he wasn't motivated to make headlines or have his song in the radio. In fact he would be the last person to be concerned if a parsha left out his name.
This weeks parsha - parsha tetzavah -is the first time Moshe's name is not mentioned in the parsha since the beginning of shmot. Rabbi Tzvi Hersch Weinreb notes that a scholar once inquired that in parsha Ki Tisa - next weeks parsha, after bnei yisroel sin during Chet ha egel, Moshe says to HaShem - if you don't forgive bnei yisroel then erase my name from the book you have written. Therefore the book Moshe was erased from was this weeks parsha. Moshe had no need for fame.
Rabbi Weinreb suggests that Moshe learned how unimportant fame is from his experiences with stigma. Stigma means disapproval from those around you or being judged negatively.
In Moshe rabbeinu's early life he suffered disapproval from others for being a fugitive, stutterer, and Jew. Rabbi Weinreb suggests that one of Moshe's greatest achievements was to retain his true identity in the face of adversity. This is how later in his life Moshe was able to stay true to himself and not give into the allure of fame. Moshe's humility was his ability to understand himself and not be vulnerable to those against him.
We refer to Moshe as rabbeinu , our teacher, not only because he taught us the laws but also because he lead by example of how to not let others opinions effect us and to value our true selves.
This fits perfectly considering this month is naim aka North American inclusion month. We are all different from each other. Each of us has our different abilities. We should not let our differences take over, rather embrace them and use them to make us stronger and better people. Let's end off naim with this message of embracing who we are and accepting those around us.
And if you ever do become famous I suggest following the ways of Moshe rabbeinu.
Shabbat shalom
The Lubavitcher Rebbe brings an idea to answer this question. He says that in fact, Moshe is present even more in this parsha than usual. The first word of the parsha, ואתה, expresses his existence even more strongly than the use of his name (just like in davening when we say ברוך אתה ה). He continues to explain what Moshe was trying to accomplish with his “threat” to erase his name by חטא העגל. He was demanding that Hashem be willing to re-establish His relationship with the Jewish people on an essential level that transcends Torah, and that if He wouldn't be willing to do so, then Moshe was prepared to lose his place in the Torah to maintain his connection with his people. So, Tetzaveh stands as an eternal tribute to Moses. It is the Torah’s own testimony to Moshe’s greatness in relinquishing everything, including his bond with Torah, in order to preserve his bond with his people and restore them to their G-d.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons that Moshe Rabbeinu's name is not mentioned in Tetzaveh is due to his plea to Hashem on behalf of the Jewish people after the chet HaEigel
ReplyDeleteExodus 32:32
וְעַתָּה אִם תִּשָּׂא חַטָּאתָם וְאִם אַיִן מְחֵנִי נָא מִסִּפְרְךָ אֲשֶׁר כָּתָבְתָּ
And now, if You forgive their sin... But if not, erase me now from Your book, which You have written."
Hashem forgave the sin, but removed Moshe from the Torah in parashas Tetzaveh.